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Opinion: Arizona's Immigration Verdict

Steve Moore on the recall of Arizona's state senate president. Photo: AP.

This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.

... welcome back to Opinion Journal Live on Jason Riley in joining me now is editorial board member Steve Moore ... Arnstein ... IGA said aam ... Steve on Tuesday something of a rarity in politics happened ahead of the state Senate ... in Arizona many Russell Pearce ... last the recall election ... but he tells pro amazing and ... um my sources in Arizona say they really stunned by this result but that ... Russell Pearce was the Senate majority Leader ... Tom Republican from the Senate in Arizona ... but he's most famous around the country because he is the author of this very controversial ... immigration law that you've read about ... five that basically says that when the police pull over someone for speeding or ... it with any cattle on Forstmann situation ... they would actually have a bead up kitties to become immigration ... you know police ... and find out what this person is here illegally or not ... um it's become extremely controversial because especially Latino voters and ... residents of Arizona think this makes them a suspect class said ... it's been perceived as being very odd ... and Ted Mexicana and Nieves ... the interesting thing about this issue case is that most people who bought this is big winning issue police ... yet as you heard about it yet here is guy who's the author of the bill all ... the Kaveri call them by the way the person who took his place a Republican so this was in a Republican right Democrat right on and and of course this law of ... some other states in the country ... are trying to pass ... on some all of the Obama missed ration is a lawsuit ... against Arizona and some of these other states that on him well that's right um policy so this is better than what I wrote about it because it's being it's a it's the copycat it around the ... country ... and Republicans are pushing us around the country precisely the case because they think it's good politics ... talk about that I mean you hear the argument that ... the ... argument that some Republicans or make is that um ... these are natural Democrats and an orbiting many of them in the country makes no sense when importing ... voters for the other team so it's a way to limit the number of potential ... Democratic voters on election day ... that's what I get what we know that there had been Republican ... candidates and the andthe and Winners and presidents ... have done quite well ... to this that both when they focused on reaching out to it instead of limiting the number well that's right and if you look ... even regardless of what you think about whether Hispanics are a natural Democrat based Boehner I mean the Doom John Yoo the generally vote Democratic but here's the point ... that that this kind of rule common and has national politics if Republicans can win forty percent of Hispanic vote here ... they generally when ... George W Bush did very well was Hispanic voters shutting down over forty percent of poll either we did in two thousand ... for an outright Euro two thousand but the point is ... here is a situation where a look at the unemployment rate is high and the people of them the frontline victims of Brock Obama this ... week failed economic policies have been Hispanics up ... Republicans think it can agree chance of winning back Hispanic vote here that they're going to feel the make those voters if they if they put ... both this and especially in a bunch of those volatile as they say I was the costly actions Colorado Arizona and Nevada ... Republican history for women's coach or all of them are from states that Bush won twice writedown of Alwan and innocent in two thousand ... um steeper lot of people though this is the law order issues these folks are coming in the right it's the responsibility of the federal government's fall this quarter ... they're not doing it you been down there that all the applications are ... not being imagined ... aam ... do you have some sympathy for the all politicians like Russell Pearce and ... have their hands tied to the Federal issue that that they're doing it ... so they're trying to do what they can given the restrictions and well Sir ... I do and and down the but here's the interesting thing about this and we reported on this ... you know I'm illegal border crossings is Donald won the last few years and illegal immigration issue is not merely ... in terms of volume is way down or was five or ten years ago so ... I'm you wonder why they ... at this point in time I was really addressing the politic yes ... and I just think it's stupid for Republicans to promote this and was kind of warning sign to say but if you wanna do this in Colorado or about our bearish economist other states ... are playing with fire ... yes ... you're right I think the the ... politically the tactic has been to inflate ... our problems as ... they pondered whether it's the awful the cost of the Andrus Ilford ... on to really put this up despite the fact that the actual numbers show ... the legal immigration from fall in ... Brazil in the middle of the German Ross appears to actually is a conservative eager agreed with us on a lot of issues ... he was extremely abrasive Netia to which Hamas the stylistic bring to hone in on the iPhone was very and